Anarchism and Internationalism: 1864-1914
Anarchism
Anarchism is not a single doctrine like Marxism but brings together a number of ideas that respond to different thinkers. In general, all anarchists:
- Criticize capitalist society
- Advocate for partnership
- Support an egalitarian society based on the absence of authority (anarchy, meaning no government)
Prominent anarchist thinkers include:
Proudhon
Considered that private property was a robbery. He advocated for a model of society based on cooperation.
Bakunin
Argued that the revolution should be led by all oppressed sectors of society: artisans, farmers, and industrial workers. His goal was the destruction of the State and all authority, and he advocated for the creation of an egalitarian society. His influence spread to Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, and Spain.
Internationalism (1864-1914)
A) First International
Founded in London in 1864.
Participants: Representatives of trade unions from France and Britain, and political emigrants from Italy and Germany.
Organization: Organized into regional sections, headed by a general council led by Karl Marx. Marx wrote the statutes and the inaugural manifesto, which set out the objectives:
- Emancipation of the working class
- Conquest of power by the working class
- End of capitalism and class society
- Establishment of socialism (based on collective ownership)
- Creation of a more just and egalitarian society
In the early congresses of the International Workingmen’s Association (IWA), some measures were taken, such as reducing working hours, raising wages, eliminating child labor, and using the strike as a measure of pressure. However, from 1869, there was a clash between Marx and Bakunin. Marx controlled the entire organization.
Workers in industrial countries (Germany, England) supported Marx, while those in more agricultural countries (Italy, Spain) supported Bakunin. In 1872, at the Congress of the Hague (Netherlands), there was a definite break between Marxists and anarchists. Marxists defended the creation of political parties to gain power, while anarchists were against it, advocating for the destruction of the State and all forms of power. Finally, the anarchists were expelled.
The IWA, severely weakened by internal division, moved to New York, where it was disbanded in 1876.
B) Trade Unions and Mass Workers’ Parties
Reflecting the experience of the First International, from 1881, workers began to form political parties. Examples include the German Social Democratic Party, the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), and the British Labour Party. These parties had a clear socialist orientation based on Marxist doctrine. At the same time, a division was established between party and union functions. Political parties were aimed at political struggle, that is, the conquest of power by the working class. Unions, on the other hand, aimed to improve the working conditions of the working class, such as raising wages and reducing working hours.
In 1888, the General Workers’ Union (UGT) was formed in Spain, linked to the PSOE.
From 1890, the Socialists were divided into two trends:
- Revolutionaries: Supporters of the parliamentary road to gradually reach socialism.
- Communists: Led by Lenin in Russia, they defended the revolutionary way to seize power and establish socialism.
Anarchism was also divided into two trends:
- Anarcho-syndicalism: Supporters of the creation of mass unions. For example, in Spain, the National Confederation of Labor (CNT) was created, which defended the strike as a means of pressure against employers.
- Anarchist-communism: Opposed to the creation of labor unions, they advocated for terrorism as a means of pressure against employers.
C) Second International
Founded in Paris in 1889 to commemorate the centenary of the French Revolution.
Participants: Socialist parties of Europe and the United States.
Objectives:
- Reduce the workday to eight hours
- Implement laws to protect workers
- Abolish child labor
- Condemn war (seen as a result of capitalism)
The Second International failed due to the division of Socialists into three groups regarding the war:
- Patriots: Supporters of the war and national defense.
- Pacifists: Anti-war.
- Revolutionaries: Supporters of using the war to carry out the socialist revolution.
The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 marked the end of the Second International.